Buddhism Hinayana and Mahayana, the Lesser and Greater Vehicle

1-"Hinayana" or "Theravada", the "Lesser Vehicle", is the conservative, , for the few (38% of Buddhists). It is the closest to Buddha's original teachings, but with many variations in Sri Lanka, Thailand, Cambodia, and Burna.

2- "Mahayana", the "Greater Vehicle", is the liberal school, for everybody (62%), It started in India and it became the pan-Asiatic form of Buddhism, in Nepal, China, Japan, Java, Sumatra, Ceylon, and on to Tibet, Korea, Indonesia, Vietnam...

The formal rise of Mahayana Buddhism has been dated to around the middle of the 2nd century CE, when the Kushan emperor Kanishka convened the 4th Buddhist Council in Gandhara, which confirmed the formal scission of Mahayana Buddhism from the traditional Nikaya schools of Buddhism.
This was also the time and place of a rich cultural interaction between Buddhism and Hellenistic culture, which influenced the early representations of Buddhas, in what is known as Greco-Buddhist art.

Here the Enlightenment is called "bodhi", a disposition inherent in all men... and the "bodhisattva ideal" is to become a perfect Buddha, but instead of disappearing as "nothingness" into Nirvana, stay on earth reincarnating to help other men... the Buddha is viewed not merely as a human master and model, but as a transcendental being, as a god, that multiplies himself and is reflected in many Buddhas.

3- Tantrism, a so called Third Vehicle, Vajrayana, the Diamond Vehicle or Raft. In 300 AC

Mahayana divided into "6 schools":

1 - "Madhyamika", with the doctrine of the "middle way". Madhyamika , Madhyamika-2

2- "Yogacara", with the doctrine that external things do not exist, only the things of the mind, nothing exists outside the mind, Basic ideas of Yogacara Buddhism

3- The "Avatamsaka", with the "Lotus Sutra" doctrine, with sermons, parables and miracles.

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We already commented about them in the Anti-Buddhist Traditions.

During the "Indian Empire" of the ruler Asoka Buddhism spread rapidly throughout India and Asia. At his death, 300 BC, Buddhism split into 2 schools, one conservative and the other liberal:

1-"Hinayana" or "Theravada", the "Lesser Vehicle", is the conservative, , for the few (38% of Buddhists). It is the closest to Buddha's original teachings, but with many variations in Sri Lanka, Thailand, Cambodia, and Burna.

2- "Mahayana", the "Greater Vehicle", is the liberal school, for everybody (62%), It started in India and it became the pan-Asiatic form of Buddhism, in Nepal, China, Japan, Java, Sumatra, Ceylon, and on to Tibet, Korea, Indonesia, Vietnam...

3- Tantrism, a so called Third Vehicle, Vajrayana, the Diamond Vehicle or Raft. In 300 AC

Mahayana divided into "6 schools":

1 - "Madhyamika", with the doctrine of the "middle way". Madhyamika , Madhyamika-2

2- "Yogacara", with the doctrine that external things do not exist, only the things of the mind, nothing exists outside the mind, Basic ideas of Yogacara Buddhism

3- The "Avatamsaka", with the "Lotus Sutra" doctrine, with sermons, parables and miracles.

4-6- Pure Land, Tantrism and Zen